Mutua Madrid Open 2021 Quarter-Finals: Rafael Nadal v Alexander Zverev Preview, Head-to-Head, Prediction

The Mutua Madrid Open 2021 has reached its quarter-final stage, and fans will witness an epic encounter there. World No. 2 Rafael Nadal will be up against World No. 6 Alexander Zverev. Both the players are in superb form at the moment and have been playing aggressive tennis.

Rafael Nadal v Alexander Zverev: Preview

Rafael Nadal is currently on a 7-match winning streak, having come to Madrid after winning his 12th Barcelona Open title. He thrashed the youngster Carlos Alcaraz in the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open 2021 and then beat Alexei Popyrin in the third round. He is yet to lose a single set in the tournament so far and thus will be a big threat to Zverev.

On the other hand, Alexander Zverev hasn’t enjoyed much success on clay so far. However, he has also been in great form at the Mutua Madrid Open 2021 after winning two brilliant matches. He crushed the former World No. 5 Kei Nishikori in the second round and went on to defeat British No. 1, Dan Evans, in the third round. The German too has not dropped a single set in the Masters 1000 tournament so far.

While Rafa will be ready to face the high serves of Zverev, the German will try to find answers to the Spaniard’s splendid forehands. It’ll be tough for Zverev, but he’ll surely try to target Rafa’s backhand area in the match.

Rafael Nadal v Alexander Zverev: Head-to-Head

The two players have faced each other seven times in their careers so far. Rafa leads the head-to-head battle 5-2 at the moment. On clay, Nadal clearly dominates as he has won all the three encounters that happened between the two on the surface.

However, Zverev emerged as the winner in their last two meetings. The German defeated Nadal at the ATP Finals 2019 and at the Paris Masters 2020.

Nadal v Zverev: Prediction

Since it’s clay, Rafael Nadal will surely begin the match as the favorite. It will not be a surprise if Rafa manages to steamroll Zverev in straight sets. However, the German will try to dominate the match with his serve. If he puts early pressure on Rafa and wins a set, he can turn the tables around.

Fans are really looking forward to witnessing some great tennis today. Will Nadal be able to advance to yet another semi-final, or will Zverev put an end to the Spaniard’s winning streak at the Mutua Madrid Open 2021?